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API Receives Prestigious Award

API has been rewarded for its outstanding work in education and training by receiving the 2011 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Collaboration in Higher Education & Training” at the Business Higher Education Round Table (B-HERT) Awards sponsored by The Federal Government Education, Employment & Workplace Relations Department.

API Bursary networking functions around Australia

We have been holding API Bursary networking functions around Australia between bursary holders and industry

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The Australian Power Institute

The Australian Power Institute (API) represents 35 major Australian power companies in addressing the skills gap in power engineering whose vision is:
"Sustainability and excellence in Australia’s power engineering"

Continuing demand for engineering expertise is being driven by forecasts of extremely high expenditure in the energy industry, and because energy system architecture is undergoing a period of high technological development and change. Transitioning to a low carbon economy while addressing community concern regarding energy sustainability, security and price demands high quality engineering solutions.

Containing electricity prices demands significant innovation in the sector to do more with less. Professional engineering expertise is critical to this innovation. Australia's unique energy challenges means solutions cannot be merely imported from overseas.

The supply of power engineers is constrained by an ageing workforce with commencing elevated retirement rates, fragmentation of professional career paths due to changed industry structures, low participation rates in high school advanced maths and science studies, and intense competition from other fields including the mining industry. API research of member companies shows a universal shortage of the Senior Engineers so important in meeting current and imminent technical challenges.

As electricity is at the heart of the modern Australian society, commerce and industry, failure to attract, develop and retain the best engineering talent could have dire consequences. Australia could fail to meet its objectives of lower carbon emissions and to supply competitive (low price), reliable electricity to underpin the Australian economy. Australia is facing the greatest transformation in the past century of its energy system by moving to a low carbon, cost effective, reliable energy industry, and critical to achieving this will be attracting and educating highly skilled power engineering professionals. API has developed a number of industry sector strategies to address this issue, and has the strong engagement of the power industry and Australian universities in their implementation.

The key objectives of API are:

  • Students view power engineering as an exciting whole of working life career choice
  • University undergraduate teaching and learning provides sustainable industry skills
  • continuing professional development programs and coordinated, concerted research are value adding to industry
  • API is positioned as a vibrant, nationally respected organisation by industry, universities and government

API Value Proposition

To deliver a Sustainable Supply of highly Skilled Power Engineering Professionals working effectively to meet the challenges of Creating Australia’s New Energy Future and Underpin the Technical and Commercial Success of Member Companies in the Energy Sector. This will be provided through maximizing collaboration between Industry, Universities, Professional Bodies and Government in Power Engineering Education, Research and Training